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BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli NGO Yesh Din posted a video on Friday showing an Israeli soldier throwing a tear gas grenade at a Palestinian couple holding their baby in the northern occupied West Bank village of Burin in Nablus.

According to Yesh Din, a Palestinian couple with a young baby were attempting to escape from a house in the village that had come under tear gas fire from Israeli forces raiding the village.

“At least one tear gas grenade landed in one of the houses where a large family lives, and several residents suffered injuries resulting from inhalation of gas and smoke,” Yesh Din said in a statement on their Facebook.

“The soldiers and border police officers continued to fire the tear gas and stun grenades even when the occupants were evacuated to the ambulance,” the statement said.

The video shows the couple evacuating the area with their baby, and as they are running, an Israeli soldier throws a tear gas grenade at them.

According to Arabic media, Israeli border police reportedly commented on the incident saying that the soldiers “did not see the baby” and that that the couple “resembled rock throwers.”

Clashes had erupted between Palestinian youth in the village and Israeli forces after locals attempted to push out Israeli settlers who had raided the area.

According to Yesh Din, in recent weeks “there has been a series of violent incidents against Palestinians in the area around the Israeli settlement of Yitzhar,” an illegal settlement in the Nablus area home to notoriously aggressive right-wing Israelis.

“Among these incidents, at the end of last week, we documented Israelis hurling stones at homes in Burin, and one Israeli was even documented shooting in the air with a pistol,” Yesh Din said.

“A few days earlier, an unknown assailant attacked a Palestinian shepherd from the village of Einabus and slaughtered five sheep,” the group added.

An upwards of some 600,000 Israeli settlers reside in occupied Palestinian territory in violation of international law. The international community has repeatedly called their presence and rising population the main impediment to potential peace in the region.

Palestinian activists and rights groups have long accused Israel of fostering a “culture of impunity” for Israeli settlers and soldiers committing violent acts against Palestinians.
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Israeli Border Policeman Filmed Throwing Tear Gas at Palestinian Couple Holding Infant

The grenade was thrown as the two were running with their backs to the officers near an area where Israeli security forces claim a violent demonstration was taking place

by Yotam Berger and Jack Khoury for Haaretz

An Israeli Border Police officer was filmed Friday throwing a tear gas grenade at a Palestinian couple carrying an infant in the West Bank village of Burin. The grenade was thrown as the two were fleeing their home with their backs to the officers near an area where a violent demonstration was taking place, according to Israeli Security Forces.

The video, taken by a "Yesh Din" activist, shows the mother, the father and the infant leaving the house and trying to flee the area. A Border Policeman then throws a tear gas grenade at them, although they do not seem to pose a threat. The officers seem to be walking at a leisurely pace, some with their rifles already down.

According to Palestinians, there were protests Friday morning around Burin after several Israelis from nearby settlements attempted to enter the village.

Border Police forces arrived and attempted to disperse the demonstrations. Palestinians say one tear gas grenade fell into a school and the ambulance that arrived attempted to evacuate the people inside.

Border Police say the video shows a "partial and edited" portrayal of the events. They add that during the violent riots that erupted, and were allegedly edited out, dozens of protestors were throwing rocks at the officers near and around the house. A Red Crescent ambulance requested the Border Police commander allowed them to take a person from the house around which the Palestinians were rioting, the Border Police added, to which the commander obliged despite the clashes.

During the evacuation, Border Police noted two suspects attempting to escape an area near which several rioters gathered earlier, and in response one of the officers threw a single tear gas grenade at them.

Border Police added that the Palestinian fled with his back to the officers and so it was impossible to see he was carrying a baby.

"Such a run is characteristic of rioters hurling stones at officers whilst risking their lives and trying to escape in attempt to avoid arrest at any cost. It's needless to say that had the officers noticed the baby, they certainly would have acted accordingly.'

Over the last few weeks, there have been numerous violent encounters in the area between Israelis and Palestinians, including stone-throwing on both sides and the slaughter of a local shepherd's sheep.

The Palestinian Health Ministry reported Friday of six Palestinians wounded in confrontations with IDF forces. Four were wounded in the Gaza Strip and two in the West Bank. All six were evacuted to hospitals for medical care.

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